New Publication from National Parks Traveler Celebrates Park Friends Groups

The Yellowstone Park Foundation is among a select group of organizations featured as part of the National Parks Traveler’s special edition magazine—Essential Friends: Celebrating Friends Groups In The National Parks. Essential Friends tells the stories of the indispensable national park partner organizations that play an important supporting role in the health and welfare of our national parks.

According to Kurt Repanshek, founder and editor-in-chief of National Parks Traveler, “national parks preserve our culture, history, and most incredible landscapes. In trying times, the parks are even more important as they offer low cost escapes that re-enrich the American spirit. Never before have park friends groups played a more important supporting role. The proliferation of these friends groups, and their now-essential contributions, is a nationally significant but largely untold story—until now.”

The free, downloadable magazine features Yellowstone, seven other great national parks, and the people who passionately step up to help "their parks" on the public’s behalf. Plus, it is full of beautiful photographs and insider tips for enjoying the parks this summer.

In addition to the Yellowstone Park Foundation, other partner groups featured in the issue are: Friends of Acadia, Friends of Big Bend National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Glacier National Park Fund, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Friends of the Smokies, and Shenandoah National Park Trust.

“We are honored to have the Yellowstone Park Foundation included in this group of national park partner organizations,” said Karen Bates Kress, President of the Yellowstone Park Foundation. “As the official fundraising partner of Yellowstone National Park, we understand how critical the extra funds provided by our donors are to the future of the park. We are grateful to National Parks Traveler for helping to spread the message through Essential Friends and their website.”

The Yellowstone Park Foundation, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization, works in cooperation with the National Park Service to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources and the visitor experience of Yellowstone National Park.